Individual differences in functional connectivity during suppression of imagined threat

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies typically rely on between-person analyses. To examine individual differences in functional connectivity, we used Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation and its subgrouping function to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 54 participants who were suppressing imagined future threat. A two-stage random-effects meta-analytic approach was employed to examine individual differences. In addition to generalizable connections between brain regions, we identified individual differences in personalized models suggesting different pathways through which individuals suppress future threat. Two subgroups with distinct connectivity patterns emerged: One subgroup (n = 29; 53.70%), characterized by an additional lagged connection from the right to the left posterior cingulate cortex, exhibited comparatively higher anxiety and less brain connectivity, whereas the other subgroup (n = 25; 46.30%), showing an additional connection from the left posterior cingulate cortex to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, was associated with lower anxiety levels and greater connectivity. This study points to individual differences in functional connectivity during emotion regulation.

Keywords: GIMMEindividual differences; fear; functional connectivity; thought suppression; threat.